4 Steps to Perfect and Beautiful Summer Legs from a Pale Girl

I am a member of the Collective Bias Social Fabric Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of the social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser.

Summer is here and I'm all about showing more of my summer legs!  BUT, there's one thing that I find really important about my legs and that is taking care of them.  Now I try to be as low maintenance as I can be, but there are a few things I'm not low maintenance about and one of those things is my skin.

A Holiday Gift Guide For Your Bearded Beau

We are currently in the midst of my favorite holiday season. Turkey and pumpkin pie are great, but I'm not referring to Thanksgiving nor am I talking about Christmas (I know that we can and should celebrate Christ all year round, but that doesn't mean that I should be forced to listen to such musical atrocities as "Santa Baby" and "Christmas Shoes" before October has ended). I speak not of these holidays, but rather of a whimsical period known as No-Shave November or Novembeard. This is by far the best thing the calendar has to offer.  Okay that's a bit of an exaggeration, but really, when it is done right, facial hair can be pretty awesome and downright impressive.

Whether your significant other enjoys a clean shave, a little bit of stubbly, or a full Grizzly Adams, here is a list of gifts that will be sure to tickle his fancy.

Neova Face Sunscreens and a Giveaway!

This post is sponsored by Neova and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

If any of you read our blog for sometime you can tell by looking at our blog us three sisters are white as humans come.  With our really white and sensitive skin, and we burn really easily.  We've been taught by our mom while we were growing up the importance to take care and protect our skin so we can prevent cancer and premature aging.  Thanks mom!

6 Best Budget Beauty Products for Dry Skin

Fall is here!  Fall is here and I love it!  I can see the leaves in the mountains change already!  Not to be a Debbie Downer, but one thing I don't love about the changing season is the havoc it does to my skin and hair.  Living in the high desert of Utah, it gets EXTREMELY dry during the fall and winter and this is brutal to my skin.  My skin starts feeling dry and tight, my acne starts up, my scalp gets flaky, and I pretty much feel like I'm falling apart!  I've found over the years that when the weather changes, I need to change my beauty regime to combat the dry desert air.

5 Steps to a Perfect Sunless Tan

Hello, this is Melanie and it's pretty obvious, but if you couldn't tell, I'm a ginger.  So, it goes without saying that the only color I get from the sun is red. I've accepted the fact that I will never be a bronze goddess--it only took a few years.  But, sometimes you just want a little color, so you don't scare children or blind fellow beach goers.

I've had my share of sunless tanning mishaps.  I've been orange, green, shimmery, speckled, and every other hue in between.

So, I have a learned a thing or two about self tanning.  Here are a few tips:

1. Exfoliate.  For real guys.  Don't skip it.  You will regret it.  I like a good grainy scrub.  For self tanning purposes you need an oil free one, or at least one that won't leave you slipping in the tub.

My favorite

Clinique Sparkle Skin Body Exfoliating Cream 

$24

2. Shave.  I've tried skipping this part too--mistake.  Do it.

3. Moisturize.  Not all over.  Just the places where your skin is a little drier.  You don't want the tanner to soak up in those spots and be too dark.  I usually put just a light lotion on my feet, knees and elbows.  

Another product to try for this is the Xentan Blending Balm.  Just swipe it on the dry skin areas and blend before tanning.

Xen Tan Blending Balm

$16

4.  Tan. Work on one limb at a time, and use circular motions to blend the areas. 

My favorites:

Xen-Tan Transform Luxe

$32

My all time favorite.  Smells like cocoa, but not in an overly-sweet way, has more of a bronze/green base so it never looks orange.  One application is just enough to de-Casper.  Also, the smell doesn't develop weird.

Jergens Natural Glow Sunless Tanner 

$10

Now, let's be real.  I used to despise the old formula of this tanner.  It stunk--to high heaven.  But, Jergens reformulated it this year with odor-masking properties.  And, now it has an SPF 20.  I actually bought the Medium to Tan skin tone one because I don't want to have to put it on 4 times before I see a little color.  I used it once for a natural glow and twice for a little more color.  Cheap.  At your local drugstore.  Well done Jergens.

Tan Towel Classic Full Body Application

$24

These are great for a quick, easy application.  I also like these for when I travel because they take up less space, and weigh less then a bottle of lotion.  My tip with these is to cut the towel in half after you open it, so you can use one for your arms, and one for your legs.  It helps distribute the product more evenly.

5. Wash your hands a of couple times to remove it from your palms.  Be really careful not to splash water all over your just tanned arms.  Then, take a towel while drying your hands, and wipe around your wrists to catch any water drips. 

Pro tip: Use a foundation brush and squeeze a dab of tanner onto it, use this product to brush the tanner on the tops and sides of your hands.  A makeup sponge can also work if you don't have a foundation brush.  I'll use a little to blend around my wrists, around my neck/jawline, even around your feet if needs be.

Happy Sunning!